Prospects look good for a Canada-U.S. free-trade pact

Ronald Reagan radiated more than his customary high wattage of optimism last week in Ottawa as he addressed Canada's 386-member Parliament. His topic: the possibility of a Canada-U.S. agreement that may soon create the world's largest free-trade zone. Amid fierce applause, the President promised to throw the full weight of his office behind that much discussed but never quite accomplished prospect. Said Reagan: "To those who would . . . fight a destructive and self-defeating round of trade battles, Canada and the U.S. will show the positive way."

So they might. As the President attested during his summit meeting with Canadian...